Astarael
by Eleraama
Summary: A young Clayr joins the battle against the Dead- Please read & respond! (Chapter2 is fully up, Chapter 3 is on the way)
1. Default Chapter

This story is based on the Great Library of the Clayr in Garth Nix's books Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen. The library he owns, as well as a great deal of the characters.He also owns the Charter, Charter Mages, and things of that sort.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: The Vision  
  
Astarael sat at her desk, studying for the test she knew she would fail. She bashed her head into the thick books in front of her. If only there was a way to learn something without the tedious studying. That was it! She sat up too quickly, causing the blood that had settled in her head to swirl about uncomfortably. It seemed to be making a swirling pattern in front of her eyes. She blinked, then shut her eyes. It was still there. She rubbed her eyes. Nothing. A single panicked thought ran through her mind: she had gone blind! But soon the voice of reason kicked in: Clayr couldn't go blind; the Sight required the use of eyes, no matter how bad they were. The swirling slowly began resolving itself into an image. Her mind raced; this must be her first vision! The picture began fading out again. I have to remember my lessons, she thought. A voice at the back of her mind began reading off things to remember. She realized with a start it was her teacher, Kirrith, giving a lesson. "One: keep your mind blank. Two, concentrate on clarifying the vision. Three, take note of your surroundings and the people involved. Four." The voice faded out as Astarael began following its advice. Then, suddenly without warning, Astarael fell into the Vision. It was of a masked figure and a boy, probably about eighteen or so. The entire scene reeked with the acrid taste/ smell of Free Magic. The masked person seemed to be giving the boy orders, to which he dully responded, "Yes, master" in a manner remniscent of a dead Hand. With a final word of power from the mask, the boy left. Astarael was carefully memorizing everything when the Mask looked straight at her. "You there," it screamed in a harsh feminine voice that told of many hard times,"You." The Mask couldn't finish, or at least Astarael couldn't hear her, because at that exact moment, Astarael fell unconscious.  
  
~*well, what do you guys think? Ill decide whether or not to write more based on reviews! So Read, Review, Reap (the benefits)!*~ -Eleraama 


	2. The Nine Day Watch

~*Here's Chapter Two, it took a while but it's worth it!*~  
  
Astarael Chapter 2  
  
Astarael woke up when someone pressed some ice wrapped in a coarse cloth to her forehead. "There, there," a voice crooned softly, "You'll be alright". It was Kirrith, Astarael realized with a soft groan. She sat up. "Wh-" she began, but Kirrith silenced her with a look. "I know what you're thinking," she said, "and all will be explained later. But first, you have a visitor." Kirrith half smiled, the closest she would ever get to expressing joy. She bustled over to the door and had a whispered conversation with the person. Shortly the door was opened and a heavily adorned figure came in. A gong was struck, and suddenly Astarael knew what it was about. "The Voice of the Nine Day Watch Summons. Astarael". This was the moment every Clayr waited for. The day when they were finally recognized as having the Sight and were eligible to participate in the Nine Day Watch. Astarael's heart gave a leap. She shakily got up off the bed and put on her shoes. She quickly bowed to the Voice and stepped out the door, hurrying to the Chamber to prepare for the ceremony that would officially declare her a Clayr with the Sight. She donned the white ceremonial robes and the twin wands of Ivory and Ebony. Her hair blonde hair was pinned, her face powdered, and the Chamber cleaned. They even brushed up her recitations of the vows she was to recite. Finally, all was ready and the chamber had filled with Clayr of all ages. She stepped gingerly onto the velvet runner and walked down the aisle in the center of the Gathering Room. There was wild applause and cheering as she began to ascend the stairs to the platform. At the top, she slowly turned around and looked at the audience, who immediately fell quiet. She took a deep breath, then began reciting the words to the ritual she had been taught all her life. "Kaya ta strosa devros een mardhe," she said clearly. "Kaya een mardhe, ta strosa," the Clayr responded as one. "From the path comes a wanderer." "From a wanderer, the path." "Kaya ta januk devros ta janim." "Kaya ta janim, ta januk." "From the past comes the Future." "From the Future, the past." "Eevak tingal modim eevatingal ," "Li ikt ta strangwe da molud nuk," "Every thing affects everything." "It is the others that shape us.' "Neem akt slaavik du ta Januk im du ta Strosa ," "Li ikt nimu Strosa ut commenta strangwe tehn," "We are servants of the Future, and of the Path." "It is our Path to tell others theirs." Astarael raised the twin wands and spun around. Beams of purest white and darkest black wound together and shot up to the ice pane in the ceiling. The symbol of the Clayr, a crystal blue eye crossed by the Ivory and Ebony wands, appeared on the screen. Astarael lowered the wands, and the beams vortexed back down. As she went to slip them into her pockets, they clacked together and shot a beam of the whirlpool of light at her forehead. Her Charter mark briefly flashed before she dropped the wands and fell to the ground, unconscious. ~* Yes, it does indeed seem like I am going to end every chapter with her fainting. Last one. I promise. Okay, maybe I'll just cut back.*~ 


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